Brassfield Elementary School

I have two children at Brassfield and have been at the school for 6 years now. I'm also a very active volunteer and spend a lot of time in the many activities the school has to offer. There are a multitude of clubs including Art Club, Green Team, Ballhandling, Legos, Robotics. The atmosphere is that of a small school, welcoming and friendly the principal is dynamic and energetic, bringing positive energy to the school. My two children have different personalities and widely different learning styles, but Brassfield has never failed to accommodate each if their particular needs. When my 5th grader moves on at the end of the year, we will both be sad to say goodbye to his fabulous teachers but we are so thankful to all of them for their hard work and dedication.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent with three children at Brassfield, and someone who is very involved volunteering, I truly would encourage any family considering our school to come and visit! Brassfield has consistently been one of the top performing schools in regard to end of year academic ratings, but school is more than just rankings and grades. We have a dynamic Principal (seeing some much older posts about the previous Principal, I can tell you first hand that our current Principal is fantastic!), caring and dedicated teachers, very engaged parents and familes, and a culture where our children are encouraged to learn, grow and thrive! There is a true sense of community at Brassfield. Kids have lots of clubs that they can join (Chess Club, Lego Club, Chorus, Ball-handling, Art Club & our Green team to name just a few!) and strong academic programs for all level learner. I mentioned earlier that I have 3 kids at Brassfield. They all learn different ways. For one child everything comes easy. My second child works hard and does well, and my third child has needed more help with Reading. What is great is that each child's needs are being met. I feel very fortunate to be at Brassfield!
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Brassfield, one is a good strong student academically and one has been well advanced of the grade level since 1st grade. While there are various programs to help kids that need more help to meet standards or have special needs, I do not feel that advanced students are properly challenged in creative ways beyond an extra worksheet. This creates frustration and boredom for these children. It does not keep them on an equal trajectory of learning from their baseline at the start of the school year. AIG starts in 4th grade and this type of experience seems to be sporadic at best in K-3rd grade.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two daughters one is 24 and recently graduated collage and my other one is a 1st grader in Brassfield. We are very proud of my oldest daughter's recent graduation from Harvard Univirsity in Boston. She got a Master's Degree in Buisness and currently is a buisness executive. She went to Brassfield Elementary for elementary school. She says she thanks Brassfield for her education. Brassfield is the #1 school in the world. My 1st grader LOVES Brassfield. The teachers are nice and the education is top knotch. Highly recommended school
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a Track 4 4th grader at Brassfield. I've been going to Brassfield since I started kindergarten. Brassfield Road Elementary is a amazing school. The teachers are EXTREMELY nice and the school has amazing education. The recess playground is HUGE and really fun. And another great thing is we don't have to wear uniforms. No school in the universe is better then Brassfield Road Elementary. The teachers are amazing, the education is amazing, the school library is really cool, the PE gym is really cool, and the music room and the art room and the Spanish room are really cool. My favorite part of school is Specials, each day we have a different special the specials are PE, Art, Spanish, Media, and Music. I give it INFINITY stars!!!! BEST SCHOOL EVER I WILL NEVER CHANGE MY MIND!!!! VERY highly recommended school. It's just so amazing.

Brassfield is a extraordinary school. One thing I love about it is that it's for everyone and they have special programs for kids. Like the AG class for Academically Gifted kids, the Learning Lab for Academically Challenged kids, and the special class for kids who have really bad chronic illnesses who can't communicate or talk. That class is one of the top things I love most about Brassfield. That they have a special class for kids with chronic illnesses who can't communicate. A great school has a kind of class like that. My daughters love Brassfield. They love the amazing food on the lunch line, the amazing school enviorment, the AMAZING nice teachers, and the wonderfully nice students. There is no better school then Brassfield Road Elementary. I love that the parents are allowed to volunteer on ALL field trips. I also love that the children don't have to wear uniforms or a certain color or colors everyday. This is the best school ever. A million stars for Brassfield. BEST SCHOOL EVER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
—Submitted by a parent

My children just transferred from a nearby school, to Brassfield. I couldn't be happier. I love it that in carpool, they have students as safety patrol, open the car doors and tell the parents to have a nice day/evening. I like both the teachers, and the principal is very approachable, energetic, and in charge. Great school, we're very happy we changed.
—Submitted by a parent

We've been at Brassfield for five years (our kids are just finishing 1st & 4th grades), and we have been reasonably happy but not exactly blown away. There was a principal change half-way through the 2011-2012 year, however, which I think is leading to positive changes - the new principal is VERY available for conversation and is implementing some programs that I think will be positive. Parents, in my experience, are also very involved at the school, and I have always felt welcome in every single classroom. In the end, though, Brassfield is like all schools - really, it's about the teacher your child has, and the rest is only peripherally important. We've had some outstanding teachers who challenged our kids in several instances, but conversely, my daughter has had two teachers the last two years who did not have the skillset to effectively work with kids across the learning spectrum and she stagnated in her learning as a result. That is where my ambivalence about the school comes in - no child should stop progressing just because they started out ahead. Hopefully the new principal will change that, too, and then the school will earn five stars from me!
—Submitted by a parent

My children attended Brassfield for a short time. Although the school is academically sound, the methods of discipline are questionable at best. I had two children attending, one of them in second grade. In the second grade class if a child did something wrong they were made to pick a stick and walk 5 laps around a track as punishment. Not only was this type of discipline way off track since my daughter has asythma and it creates a risk for her health, but it creates a strongly negative environment for the children. As parents, I feel it is important for us to participate with our children, especially on field trips. However, at Brassfield on two of the field trips that my wife and I were eager to attend with our son, we were informed that parents were not allowed to come. We got the distinct feeling that the school was trying to exercise a level of control over our children that did not make us comfortable as parents. Most schools I have had experience with welcome any opportunity to have parents as chaperones and to assist on field trips. Our children are in a different school now and are very happy even though it doesn't have a 10 rating.
—Submitted by a parent

The aforementioned principal is no longer with our school, the new principal is so wonderful and actually sends a broadcast voicemail every Sunday to update parents on what's going on in the coming week. She even hand wrote congratulations notes on both of my children's report cards. She must have done that for every child?! That means so much to them. There are a couple of teachers who have bad reputations, but for such a large school with four tracks that's pretty good. We could afford to send our children to private school but love this school so much we don't see the point. Like a previous reviewer said, the parents and families are truly wonderful.
—Submitted by a parent

Great teachers, great kids, great parents. They do a great job teaching the kids, and when you watch the kids enter the school, the kids are happy kids. The parents are mostly all smiles too! The curriculum is challenging and if your child isn't being challenged, then they'll look at how to meet your child's needs.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the best school I have ever seen. The teachers are great and accomodate students to their needs as well as their abilities. My son is very smart and they have done a wonderful job pushing him to his best and putting him in AG classes. Great school and I am very pleased and happy with everything. they are a little on the strict side but again that's why they are doing so good.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school and most of the teachers are simply excellent. Unfortunately the most recent principal Dr. Pamela Kinsey-Barker is completely out of touch. She is difficult to deal with and more concerned with the politics of the central office than the success of the children. Until she breaks this school and is eventually removed the students will suffer.
—Submitted by a parent

We have a son with Special Needs and so were very careful in our selection of where we would live based on the school in the area. Reading a review and seeing a 9 out of 10 is great yet there is still a concern on if the school will really live up to the hype or not. I can say, without reservations, that Brassfield is one of the top schools i have ever had the opportunity to work with. My wife and I have fought many battles with schools in another part of the country to get that school to adhere to the IEP that is in place. Wakefield not only excelled at meeting his IEP yet also put processes in place that we did not even expect or think of. I cannot recommend this school more. Great teachers with a Princple that always has her door open with fantastic leadership. 11 out of 10
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent of two kids in third and fourth grade. I find this school to be excellent. The teachers are very caring.
—Submitted by a parent

My husband and I feel very lucky that Brassfield is our neighborhood school, which was one of the reasons we moved into the neighborhood. The school has a great reputation for it's educational ratings and staff, the parents and teachers are very involved with the student's everyday needs and home life, and the school has a very diverse student body. But, most importantly, the other day I was in the carpool line in the morning to drop off my 3rd and 5th grader, and my 5th grader said, 'I'm so glad I go to Brassfield' and my 3rd grader said, 'Me too.'. Enough said.
—Submitted by a parent

I absolutely love Brassfield Elementary School. It is such a wonderful school, with excellent teachers, and the best students. The education is great and the opportunities that are endless at Brassfield. The parents are also magnificant and volunteer and help out whenever needed. My boys love Brassfield, and love going to school everyday!
—Submitted by a parent

Our son attended this school when it became year-round. I heard very positive feedback about the school from my son's previous school. My son had an IEP in place. The team at Brassfield has embraced him. I have a strong team in place with all the resources available. They are dedicated to his success and it is easy to advocate for him. They are compassionate and willing to help, offer advice and support. I am in regular communications with my team. However, I am the type of parent that wants this type of relationship. It has been easy to feel supported. My son's IEP main teacher is his lifeline to catching up in school and staying on track. The PTA is very active and proactive in raising funds for the school. For example, they submitted the largest amount of box-tops of any school in NC last year.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter attended this school from 2nd through 5th grade and had a great experience. Teachers were competent, caring, and challenging. The classes were structured and focused on learning (as was the whole school). She was previously in a private school, so we were apprehensive about what Brassfield would be like, and we were very pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the education she received. She's getting straight A's in middle school now.
—Submitted by a parent

Good basic school for most. Safe environment. Small feel. Not a great place for high level learners, those that need additional challenges to stay engaged, or those that are AG qualified.
—Submitted by a parent